I'll Follow You to Hell and Back
by tanukisama
Summary: Inuyasha believes he has a duty toward Kikyou, and honor dictates he must repay her sacrifice with his own life one day. But how will he react when death separates him from Kagome?


I'll Follow You to Hell and Back  
  
Kaede inhales the cool night air deeply into her lungs, savoring the quiet of the evening. She sets out for a relaxing stroll, serenaded by crickets chirping their final songs before the chill of the autumn season quieted them for the year. It would be a few days before Kagome returned, and in the meantime, little was going on. Her traveling companions had all made satisfactory sleeping arrangements in the cozy little hut and were now dozing the night away, no doubt exhausted from all the chores Kaede had found for them to do while they waited for Kagome.  
  
However, Kaede soon discovered she was not the only one still awake. Silhouetted against the full moon, Inuyasha's form was sprawled out on a branch of the old sycamore, not far above Kaede's head. He said nothing to acknowledge her, continuing to gaze at the moon and moping over some unknown subject.  
  
"Inuyasha, what troubles thee? Yea have been unusually quiet today, and now it seems something is keeping yea from sleeping." Kaede plants her walking stick firmly in the ground and stares at him, awaiting his response.  
  
Inuyasha slowly turns to face her, as if he is suffering from extraordinary exhaustion. "Kaede-baba." he mumbles weakly, as if he had not noticed her before. "I was just thinking of. my duty to Kikyou."  
  
Kaede marvels at the melancholy change in his demeanor. "And what is thy duty, as yea see it?"  
  
"That's what's troubling me. I'm no longer sure. of anything. She died because of me, so I owe her my life. I've sworn to protect her, and so I must. But if she were to take me to hell with her, I could no longer protect Kagome. and our quest to reassemble the Shikon jewel would be cut short. Plus, then I wouldn't get the chance to destroy Naraku, and avenge Kikyou's death. What is it that Kikyou's thinking? I don't understand the things she does. One minute she's out to kill us, and the next, she's helping us. I can't help having feelings for her, looking the way she does, as if she were still alive. But is she still Kikyou? I can't go on like this. not knowing what I should do. It's driving me crazy!"  
  
"As her only living relative, my judgement is this: First of all, her death was not thy doing - it was caused by the demon Naraku, and so yea are justified in seeking to destroy him. However, yea are not bound to give up thy life for her sake. Secondly, the creature yea now call 'Kikyou' is not my sister, as far as I am concerned. Yea are not bound to protect that mass of grave earth any more than yea are bound to protect any lump of clay. Should thee so choose to protect it, or give up thy life for it, that is completely of thy own choosing, and not a matter of responsibility toward me or her. Thirdly, yea have accepted the responsibility of restoring the jewel, and so that duty comes before any new ones yea might invent. And finally. perhaps most importantly, should yea not be more concerned about the wants of the living than those of the dead? The people surrounding yea now care more about thee than yea may realize." She smiles and trudges on, leaving him to his thoughts.  
  
Inuyasha frowns at her and resumes his more natural personality. "Feh. You make it sound so simple, Kaede-baba." He looks up at the moon once more. "But it's not simple at all."  
  
Kaede turns back, almost glad to hear his sarcastic tone. "Think on this, Inuyasha. If both Kikyou and Kagome were in danger, and yea could only save one, who would yea choose?"  
  
Inuyasha stares at her for a minute. Then he frowns and furrows his eyebrows as he prepares to launch an assault of ungentlemanly words upon her. "Stupid old hag, I didn't need MORE to worry about!"  
  
Kaede shakes her head and leaves. "Someone needs a good 'oswari' to clear his head."  
  
***  
  
Everyone's mood improves with Kagome's return. Some of the good cheer, however, especially in Shippou's case, may be related to the freshly baked cookies her mother sent with her. As the group enjoys the snack, Kagome excuses herself and motions to Inuyasha to follow her. He turns to see if anyone has noticed, grabs two more cookies, and slinks after her, curious about what she might want.  
  
Once outside, Inuyasha notices a definite change in Kagome's previously perky mood. She turns away from him, looking into the distance, and addresses him quietly.  
  
"Inuyasha, has anything been bothering you lately?"  
  
Inuyasha's eyebrow shoots up. Could Kaede have said something about the other night? That was impossible - Kagome had only just arrived. "What do you mean?"  
  
"While I was home, I had a bad dream." She turns to face him. "I dreamt we were separated for some reason, and I couldn't see you anymore. I just wondered if you were mad at me, or if something was going on that I should know about."  
  
Inuyasha gulps. "No! No, nothing's wrong!"  
  
Kagome smiles with relief. "Oh, good!" She laughs nervously. "It was just a silly dream, then." She turns to go back inside, but stops with a gasp. Whirling around again to face Inuyasha, she announces the beginning of another adventure. "Inuyasha, I sense a jewel shard!"  
  
"Where?"  
  
"There are several, traveling as a group, I think, headed this way, from that direction." She points toward the forest.  
  
***  
  
A handsome young man with long raven hair makes his way through the woods. His kimono is made of silk and dyed indigo with white embroidery. In his right hand is a large wizard's staff with a blue orb seemingly held in place at the tip by beautifully carved claws. He almost floats when he walks. Behind him drift a number of soul collectors. They are unusually large specimens, all a beautiful royal blue color and each holding a jewel shard.  
  
The man laughs to himself. "Soon, my little miko, I'll find you."  
  
***  
  
Shippou clings to Miroku's shoulder for protection as he asks the question again. "HOW many shards do you sense?"  
  
"There seem to be at least seven, eight. ten. if not more." Kagome trails off as she stares in the distance toward the shards.  
  
"Is it Naraku?" Shippou puffs out his chest, trying to look brave.  
  
"No, I don't recognize this scent. It's someone new." Inuyasha wriggles his nose with confusion. "But they're getting closer." He puts a hand on Tetsusaiga, bracing himself for the attack. His jaw drops open somewhat as a soul catcher drifts overhead. "Kikyou????" More soul catchers drift by, circling above them gracefully. Inuyasha sniffs the air again, completely confused. "I don't smell her around."  
  
"Inuyasha, all the soul catchers have shards in their mouths." Kagome points up at them, snapping Inuyasha back into action.  
  
"Right." He looks around. "Why aren't they attacking?"  
  
More and more arrive, one by one, and they dance and swirl in the air, as if waiting for something. Then, all at once, they shoot down at them, breathing fire as they go.  
  
Inuyasha leaps on Kagome, pushing her down as a blaze of fire shoots over their heads. Kagome groans and prays he hasn't broken the bow Kaede gave her.  
  
"THAT'S NEW!" Miroku screams as he ducks a fireball.  
  
Sango hurls her boomerang, knocking out two in one blow. Unfortunately, each one grows back two heads. "This is a baaaad sign."  
  
Miroku grabs his prayer beads, but Inuyasha stops him. "We'll lose all the shards that way!"  
  
Miroku grumbles at him, rewrapping his fist. "I have a feeling this is a trap." The forest around them is consumed in flame, sending up waves of heat and smoke around them, impairing their vision and Inuyasha's ability to smell.  
  
Inuyasha draws his sword, leaping into the air and chopping through the mouth of one of the soul catchers. The beast writhes in agony as Inuyasha struggles with it, until finally he pulls out the shard triumphantly. "Feh. We can beat this game."  
  
The remaining soul catchers gather together, forming an enormous hydra-like beast. The heads flail about wildly, making it difficult for them to cut into a mouth, which seemed to be the only way to stop them. Any attempt to sever the necks only resulted in the growth of more heads, which lead to more confusion.  
  
***  
  
Kagome notices a man watching all this from a safe spot deeper in the woods. She runs toward him, pulling out an arrow from the quiver strapped behind her, yelling, "You've got something to do with this, don't you!"  
  
The man smiles at her and nods. "Come walk by my side for a bit and I'll call off the attack. I'm only here to see you, after all."  
  
Kagome looks at him strangely, poised to shoot, but lowers the bow and steps forward. "What do you want with me?"  
  
***  
  
The hydra seems to grow larger and angrier by the minute, sending flames everywhere, separating the group with walls of fire. Miroku manages to place immobilization scrolls on several of the heads, reducing the number of enemies somewhat. Inuyasha slices through three more heads, obtaining three more shards in the process. Sango's boomerang mangles one more head, scoring a fourth shard. But over twenty heads remain.  
  
***  
  
"I need your soul, miko."  
  
Kagome's eyes bug out at his request. She raises the bow once more. "I'm using it at the moment!"  
  
The man looks into her eyes. "Aren't you curious why I would ask such a thing? If you just look at the inscription here on this orb, you'll understand completely."  
  
Kagome glances at the blue orb and makes out the word 'victory.' She cocks her head, thinking 'I don't understand.' But then the world spins around her and everything turns to darkness.  
  
***  
  
Inuyasha feels a sudden pain in his chest, as if someone has just stabbed him through the heart with an ice pick. His hair stands on end as he suddenly realizes Kagome is no longer behind him. "Kagome??!" He strains to catch her scent through the smoke. It's no use. He might as well be surrounded by the fires of hell as this mess. Suddenly, a fissure opens in the ground below the hydra, and the great beast descends into it. The forest fire disappears in a poof of smoke, as if someone had merely blown out a candle. "Kagome?" Inuyasha calls for her again. Miroku, Sango, and Shippou appear, completely uninjured, as if nothing had happened. But no Kagome. Inuyasha felt as if someone were cranking the ice pick into his heart. He strains once more and finally catches her scent, deep in the woods behind him. He turns and runs, screaming her name, "KAGOME!!!"  
  
***  
  
The long-haired man stoops to take the jewel shards from around her neck. "Thank you for your gifts, young miko." As he rises once more, he is greeted by an enraged hanyou.  
  
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO KAGOME????" Inuyasha growls incessantly after screaming at the unknown man.  
  
The man simply smiles. "The same thing you do to youkai, you impertinent hanyou. I eliminated a threat."  
  
"YOU BASTARD!!!" Inuyasha wields Tetsusaiga, leaping into the air with intent to kill this apparent youkai monster, but he is thrown backward by a forcefield. The others arrive in time to see his attack thwarted. They stand posed and ready to fight.  
  
The man takes the orb from his staff and holds it as it glows. "Don't worry. Her soul is in good company for now. I'll return for the other mikos later." A fissure opens below him, and he disappears into what seems to be the fires of hell.  
  
"The other mikos?" Miroku wonders what that threat could refer to.  
  
Inuyasha collapses on the ground by Kagome. Her body is twisted on its side, her arms still holding the bow and arrow. "Kagome?" Inuyasha brushes the hair from her eyes.  
  
I had a bad dream. I dreamt we were separated for some reason, and I couldn't see you anymore.  
  
"Kagoooooooooomeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He howls her name with incredible sorrow, then buries his face in her neck and weeps. The others realize their friend is gone, and for the first time, Sango allows Miroku to embrace her, though with Shippou between them. Miroku wraps his arms around them, and they all cry together, Miroku shedding quiet tears, Sango snuffling, and Shippou bawling, while Inuyasha endured the most unimaginable heartbreak possible.  
  
I don't want you to come here anymore. It's too dangerous. I . can't bear to see another woman die.  
  
Inuyasha, I like being here with you.  
  
Inuyasha, we always want to be together, don't we?  
  
Inuyasha quietly picks up Kagome's limp body, holding it close to his chest as an unfathomable anger wells up within him. "I'm going after him."  
  
Miroku is concerned by the tone in his friend's voice. Inuyasha only sounds like that. when he's in his transformed state. "Inuyasha?"  
  
"Even if I have to go to the depths of hell to do it, I WILL find him. And when I do, I'll tear him apart." The raspy, gutteral growling sound growing in Inuyasha's voice was unmistakable. His eyes began to glow red with hatred.  
  
"Inuyasha, he said he would return for the other mikos. could he have meant Kaede and Kikyou?"  
  
Inuyasha's eyes return to normal as he whirls around to look Miroku in the eye. "Kikyou?"  
  
"That blue orb. It seemed as if he were collecting souls with it, but why?" Sango scrunches up her eyebrows in deep thought.  
  
"The souls of mikos." Shippou adds. "I wonder what he wants miko souls for?"  
  
***  
  
"Inuyasha, have thy demon powers failed yea? Kagome still lives." Kaede scolds the hanyou for jumping to conclusions.  
  
"WHAT?" Inuyasha flies to Kagome's side.  
  
"I have seen a similar condition brought on by poisoning. The victim's heartbeat and breath slow down to almost nothing, giving the appearance of death, though life still remains. Her eyes are dull, but there is no sign of injury. From what you say, it would appear this mysterious youkai has somehow drawn the soul from her for some unknown purpose, but her body has not been harmed, and so it sleeps until the soul can be returned."  
  
Shippou hesitantly touches Kagome's hand. "How long can she stay that way?"  
  
"I do not know exactly. With diligent care, her body might be made to last quite a while, but any number of things could go wrong. I do not think it would be wise to allow her to stay this way more than three days."  
  
"Kaede, do you suppose this youkai will come for you as well?" Miroku looks at her with concern.  
  
"Perhaps."  
  
Inuyasha's ears twitch. "They're here."  
  
***  
  
Kagome looks around her at the strange, ethereal world she found herself in. She wonders if she's dreaming as she floats around. The light around her reflects in interesting patterns, much like light in a swimming pool. She is not alone in this realm. Someone is speaking, or thinking, or simply being. it is hard to tell. she is not sure where her own thoughts stop and the other thoughts begin, like a dream where you play all the characters.  
  
Another miko is with us.  
  
How many more will there be?  
  
When the jewel is restored this will end.  
  
Will we be free then?  
  
Who knows?  
  
Kagome strains to see where the voices are coming from, but she cannot make out anything beyond the glimmering light.  
  
"Hello? Who's there? Where am I?"  
  
We were mikos, like you. This is our world now. This is our grave.  
  
***  
  
"Don't worry, Kaede-baba. I'll kill him before he can take your soul. Take care of Kagome." Inuyasha draws Tetsusaiga and rushes outside. "SHOW YOURSELF!!!"  
  
The young man appears, complete with forcefield, as his soul collectors swirl around him. "You've taken some of my jewel shards, little hanyou."  
  
"How dare you take Kagome's soul! Return it, or I'll gut you where you stand!"  
  
The man smiles. "Would you bring back all the youkai you've slaughtered for the sake of the jewel shards?"  
  
"I'll send you where they've gone. in a form you won't be able to regenerate from!" Inuyasha prepares himself, and uses the wind scar. but to no avail.  
  
The man shakes his finger at Inuyasha. "Tsk tsk. Even a half demon should be wise enough to not throw his life away for the sake of a human miko."  
  
Miroku comes out of the hut and calmly addresses the youkai. "What do you want with the miko souls?"  
  
"Within the Shikon No Tama, there is a war waging on between a miko and a number of youkai. When the jewel is used by a dark heart, the youkai gain strength. When the jewel is purified, the miko gains strength. It is my wish to restore the jewel, and achieve its ultimate power. a power which can only be called upon when the youkai finally defeat the miko. Only a miko from this world can purify the jewel, so only mikos are a threat to the jewel's true power."  
  
"So by taking their souls, you prevent them from purifying the jewel." Miroku figets with his prayer beads.  
  
"Indeed. And aside from that, when properly utilized, their souls have incredible power." The man smiles as he blasts one of the soul collectors. It grows to enormous proportions and blasts through the hut, sending scraps of wood flying everywhere.  
  
"KAGOMEEEE!!!"  
  
***  
  
Sango holds her boomerang over her head, shielding herself and the others from the flying timber. "Kirara, we're not safe here anymore!"  
  
With a burst of flame, Kirara takes on her sabertooth form. Sango hastily hoists Kagome over her shoulder and leaps onto Kirara's back, leaning down to assist Kaede. Shippou leaps onto Kirara's neck, and they take off, searching for cover elsewhere.  
  
***  
  
SHOOOOM!!  
  
A glowing arrow flies through the barrier protecting the unnamed youkai. He looks up and growls. "The dark miko."  
  
Inuyasha takes the opportunity to make his attack, slicing through the youkai's shoulder, down through to his opposite leg. The youkai looks up at him in surprise, dropping his staff, the orb falling free to the ground. Blue flames surround him, concealing his transformation into a large soul collector. He snatches up the orb and burrows into the ground, followed closely by his horde of servants. A final burst of flame signals their return to hell as the ground closes, swallowing them up without a trace.  
  
Inuyasha drops the sleeve he had raised to protect his face from the flames, and stands up straight, turning to look at the woman who had assisted him. Her small white soul collectors drift about overhead, much like white ribbons swirling in the wind. How angelic they looked compared to the youkai's soul collectors!  
  
"Kikyou."  
  
She stares at him coldly, the wind blowing her hair about playfully, somewhat inappropriately, considering her icy demeanor.  
  
"Why did you help me?" Inuyasha raises a hesitant hand, almost wishing to reach out and embrace the woman he once loved.  
  
"Who says I was helping you?" Kikyou looks away, avoiding his eyes. "I couldn't bear to allow such a repugnant creature as that miko hunter to continue his quest." She turns away, retreating into the forest.  
  
"Inuyasha."  
  
Inuyasha turns his head to see Sango calling to him questioningly, Kagome's limp form propped up against her.  
  
"Kagome." Inuyasha runs to her side. "Was she injured?"  
  
"No, thanks to Kirara, we're all fine." Sango smiles at him reassuringly.  
  
"But that demon will surely return. It seems to come and go from hell at will. We must find a way to stop it, and return Kagome's soul quickly."  
  
"I KNOW that, Miroku!" Inuyasha growls at him in annoyance. "But how?"  
  
"I do believe, that breaking the blue orb atop his staff will release the souls entrapped within. However, it is possible that the orb is only a transportation device for a larger vessel located elsewhere - perhaps somewhere in the underworld. That would explain why he keeps returning there. But that is presuming the souls are still intact. If he is consuming them, or converting them to spiritual energy, it may be too late." Kaede frowns as the sour words roll over her tongue.  
  
"Too late?" The words come out as a feeble whisper as Inuyasha stares at Kagome's peaceful face. She looks as if she were merely sleeping. so peaceful. so beautiful. I can't bear to lose her. He clenches his jaw and turns away from them. "Take good care of her. Miroku, use the wind tunnel if it becomes necessary. I no longer care about the shards." He turns back to face them one last time. "If I don't return, tell her I'm sorry."  
  
With that cryptic remark, Inuyasha runs off into the woods, leaving the others gaping at his back.  
  
***  
  
"Kikyou!!!"  
  
She stops and turns to face him, her countenance full of quiet hatred.  
  
Inuyasha stands before her, panting slightly as he stares her in the eye. "Do you still want to drag me into hell, Kikyou?"  
  
"Have you chosen this as the day of your death, Inuyasha?" Kikyou's face remains cold and expressionless as she speaks.  
  
"I didn't say that. But I need a doorway into the underworld." He plants himself firmly, never shifting his glance.  
  
Kikyou walks toward him slowly. "Inuyasha." She puts her arms around him, drawing him close. "How long I have waited for this day." She puts a hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat, then frowning. "But your heart is yearning to be with her now, isn't it?" She looks up at him sadly. "Inuyasha, once the doorway is opened, there will be no return for us."  
  
"It doesn't matter. If I can restore Kagome's soul, that's enough." Inuyasha spits out the bitter words with a dry, raspy voice.  
  
"If I descend into death now, I will not be able to draw Naraku into hell, as I had intended."  
  
"Then we both have a reason to live. If that demon can come and go between worlds, we should be able to find a way back."  
  
"If not, are you prepared to spend eternity with me in the depths of hell?" She finds the answer to her question in Inuyasha's sorrowful eyes. "Then we will leave this world now. I will send an arrow through the miko hunter's heart instead of Naraku's." Her soul catchers circle around her in anticipation.  
  
The ground shakes and splits beneath them. Kikyou grasps Inuyasha tightly as they descend, the flames licking up around them as they leave the world of the living far behind them.  
  
***  
  
"What do we do now, Kaede?" Shippou looks up at the old miko with confusion. "Where did Inuyasha go?"  
  
"Is it not obvious?" She pats his head and frowns slightly. "He's gone to ask Kikyou to send him to hell."  
  
"WHAT?" Shippou shakes his head in disbelief.  
  
"It may be a good plan, Shippou, despite how it sounds. The miko hunter seems to always retreat to hell after a battle. It must regenerate there in some hidden stronghold. If Inuyasha can find its nest, he's sure to find where it's keeping Kagome's soul. Besides that, it probably won't be expecting an attack there, and will be easier to defeat." The monk strokes his chin as he speaks, trying desperately to come up with reassuring reasons to have faith in Inuyasha's rash decision.  
  
"But Miroku!" Shippou sighs. "Well, if he doesn't succeed, I'll never forgive him." He sits in Sango's lap and pouts.  
  
***  
  
Inuyasha blinks as the fire recedes. He is somewhat surprised at the darkness surrounding him. Kikyou slowly releases her grip on him and backs away.  
  
"Welcome to the eternal night of death, Inuyasha. How will you find the lair of the miko hunter in this darkness?"  
  
Inuyasha squints and blinks again. Gradually his eyes adjust and he looks around at the rocky, barren terrain. "I still have my senses. I'll sniff him out." He turns around on tiptoe with his nose in the air, but stops when he feels a strange twinge in his chest. In the distance before him, a tiny star sends a ray of light and hope toward him. "Kagome."  
  
***  
  
The soul collector youkai lays coiled up in a ball, nursing his wounds in his netherworld cavern. Behind him sit two silver pedestals, one holding a number of jewel shards, including Kagome's, and the other holding the blue orb.  
  
"That dark miko, and that hanyou. must be destroyed." He sulks as he mumbles to himself, not noticing the unusually bright light being emitted by the orb.  
  
SHHHOOOOM!!!  
  
He reels back, screaming, as a sacred arrow pierces his eye. "Damn you, miko! You dare to attack me in my own lair!" He grins at her. "But it was nice of you to come offer your soul to me this way."  
  
"Inuyasha, break the orb." Kikyou barks out the command as she draws another arrow. She weakens as some of the souls are drawn from her, but still manages to unleash an arrow into the beast's heart. "Did you think I would allow such a disgusting creature to live?"  
  
"You bitch." the beast growls at her as it staggers to its feet.  
  
Meanwhile, Inuyasha has chopped through most of the blue soul catchers. Without jewel shards in their possession, they are not difficult to kill.  
  
Kikyou's arrows take care of the remainder, with her last arrow coming to rest between the eyes of their youkai lord.  
  
Inuyasha leaps over the corpse and shatters the orb with Tetsusaiga, filling the cavern with a flash of blinding light. Dozens of white orbs fly around him. As they make their way upward, they are collected by Kikyou's soul catchers.  
  
Kikyou laughs as they bring the souls to her. "Thank you, Inuyasha. With miko souls to sustain me, I will be much more powerful than before." Her lips curl into a smile. "Perhaps with that girl's soul back in this mortal coil, I can become human once again. Would you like that, Inuyasha?"  
  
Inuyasha stares at her in disbelief. "Kikyou?" He frowns at her and snarls. "Let Kagome's soul return to her own body! I came here so she could live, damn it!"  
  
However, his outburst is unnecessary. The remaining orbs swirl around and join together, condensing into the form of a girl. Inuyasha steps backward, awestruck, as Kagome appears before him as a being of light. She steps toward Kikyou, looking at her sadly.  
  
The hatred must be buried here. The dead will have their rest.  
  
Kikyou sinks to her knees as the souls leave her. She looks up at Kagome and pleads with her. "I wish to take my revenge on Naraku. Would you bury me here before I have accomplished this?"  
  
The ghostly apparition looks down at her.  
  
As you wish.  
  
Kikyou rises to her feet and glares at the specter with intense hatred. She walks away, raising her hand to call her soul collectors to her.  
  
The glowing spirit floats over to Inuyasha, surrounding him in warmth and light.  
  
"Kagome." His eyes fill with tears as he gazes upon the disembodied soul of the person dearest to him in the world.  
  
Don't cry, Inuyasha.  
  
She smiles and embraces him. He closes his eyes, and for a minute, feels that she is alive and real, and welcoming him with a tender kiss.  
  
***  
  
"Kagome? Kagome!" Sango grabs the hand of her friend and holds it tight as Kagome's eyes flutter and finally open. She struggles to sit up, and her efforts are nearly thwarted by an overly enthusiastic kitsune.  
  
"Kagome!!!! You're alive!!!!" Shippou pounces on her and hugs her tight.  
  
"Shippou. Sango. Where. Where's Inuyasha?"  
  
Her friends turn away, not wishing to tell her the truth.  
  
"Well? Where is he?"  
  
Sango is the first to speak. "We're not really sure." Her voice shakes as she says the words, betraying her white lie.  
  
Miroku decides to take the burden of bearing bad news. "Kagome, do you remember what happened to you?"  
  
Kagome looks at him with some degree of confusion. "It's fuzzy. Can you tell me?"  
  
"The youkai we were fighting was collecting the souls of mikos. Your soul. was one of them. His lair was somewhere in the underworld, so Inuyasha. went to find Kikyou. to have her send him to hell." Miroku pauses as he glances up to see the look on Kagome's face. He swallows and turns away from her. After a moment, he continues. "It would seem he succeeded in restoring your soul. However. there was no guarantee he would be able to return."  
  
Kagome stares into space, hugging Shippou tightly. Then she relaxes. "He's alive." She stands up and puts Shippou down, then runs outside. The others stare at each other, then run after her.  
  
***  
  
The tightness in her chest pulls her forward as she runs. Finally, she sees her goal - a tuft of white hair and red cloth against the green and brown of the forest clearing. Although his eyes were closed and his body lay motionless there on the ground, Kagome knew he was alive.  
  
She falls to her knees by his side and puts a hand on his cheek, softly calling his name. "Inuyasha?"  
  
His eyes open slowly, then he blinks, readjusting his eyes to the light of this world. "Kagome?" In a flash, his arms fly around her, pulling her toward him, proving to himself that the woman before him was truly his Kagome. "Kagome, I thought I had lost you forever! I was so scared!"  
  
She pushes away to look in his eyes. "Inuyasha, you died for me? Baka! Never do that again!" With tears in her eyes, she half smiles at him, then presses her lips against his. He pulls her close, savoring the kiss, thanking the gods for having her back, but still not entirely believing she was really there.  
  
"I love you, Kagome. I would move heaven and earth for you."  
  
"I love you, Inuyasha."  
  
The sound of a twig breaking echoes through the quiet of their private world.  
  
"How long have you been standing there?!" Inuyasha's face contorts in anger as he realizes Miroku and the others are nearby.  
  
Miroku steps out and grins at him, holding a hand behind his head sheepishly. "We just got here. We didn't hear anything."  
  
Inuyasha growls at him.  
  
As they turn to go back to the village, Miroku subtly makes his way to Sango's side.  
  
"I would die for you, Sango." He leans closer, hoping for a kiss from his beloved warrior princess.  
  
"Don't tempt me."  
  
The verbal rebuke throws him off balance before he can even grope her. However, after a moment to regain his composure, he succeeds in his mission.  
  
Miroku smiles as he rubs his throbbing cheek. "It was worth the pain." 


End file.
